Derby Days raises thousands for Huntsman Cancer Institute
After six days of events ranging from shaving heads and playtime with puppies to auctioning off Sigma Chi brothers at Wayside Central, Derby Days is estimated to raise more than $15,000 for the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
Derby Days is a weeklong philanthropy event hosted by the Zeta Rho chapter of Sigma Chi at Central Michigan University where sorority sisters participate in a series of competitions to earn points and raise money for cancer research. Last year, the chapter raised more than $7,000 for the Huntsman Cancer Institute. This year, they raised more than $7,000 at Thursday night’s Date Auction alone.
“Derby Days is about having fun. Personally, I had an extremely fun and exciting week and I hope everyone involved in it did too,” said Philanthropy Chair and Northvile junior Mark Guidobono. “Events like Derby Days are critical because they unite Greek Life towards a great cause and it reenforces the idea of CMU being a community.”
Derby Days kicked off Nov. 1 with "Pie a Sig, Shave His Wig," leaving volunteering Sigma Chi brothers with ridiculous haircuts for at least 24 hours. Each head shaved was worth 50 points for the sorority.
For a full online gallery of Derby Days photos, click here
Sorority sisters hunted down Sigma Chi brothers wearing their Derby Days shirt during "Tag a Sig" on Nov. 2. Participants had to take a photo with a brother before tweeting it to Sigma Chi’s Twitter account. Each photo was worth two points. The day also featured the Derby Chase scavenger hunt, where hats were hidden around campus. Sigma Chi tweeted clues and each hat found was worth 50 points.
“Philanthropy weeks are important because it generates so much money for each chapter. It really shows that these young kids have good heads on their shoulders and are more than their stereotypes,” said Sigma Chi President and Livonia senior Zach Stout.
Cori Hanna won 500 points for Sigma Kappa Nov. 4 when she won first place at the Derby Pageant, naming her the “Derby Darling” of 2015. The pageant featured three rounds: a best outfit, a talent show and a question and answer round.
The Derby Date Auction generated three times the estimated amount when it raised $7,100. Sigma Chi brothers were auctioned to the highest bidder at the Derby Date Auction Nov. 5 at the Wayside Central.
"It really brings not only the Greek community, but the CMU community together to raise money for a good cause. Greek organizations do an amazing job trying to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone," said Alpha Sigma Alpha member and Okemos senior Ashton Gallagher. "A few of the fraternities, like Sigma Chi, have the sororities compete with each other to see who can raise the most money for the week. There's nothing like a little competitive edge to get people involved."
Puppies on the Porch, the newest event of Derby Days, featured a dozen puppies on the porch of Sigma Chi Nov. 6. Stout said he was impressed at how well the new event went.
Delta Zeta won with the highest number of points, winning $1,000 for their philanthropy, Speech and Hearing.
“I really liked how it brought not only our chapter together, but Greek community as a whole together for a great cause. All the events were so fun and well planned,” said Macomb junior and Delta Zeta member Gina Pizzimenti.
This year, Sigma Chi chapters across the country announced a 7-year commitment to raise $10 million for the institute. The Huntsman Cancer Institute was founded in 1995 by Sigma Chi brother Jon Huntsman.
